


Play Date

by absinthefae



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Break Up, F/M, Friends With Benefits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-05-11 07:37:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5618935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/absinthefae/pseuds/absinthefae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When friends with benefits becomes something more, Tsukishima can't handle it and comes to make one of the decisions he'll regret most in his life. Until he gets a chance to fix it all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_You call me on the telephone, you feel so far away_  
You tell me to come over there's some games you want to play  
I'm walking to your house, nobody's home  
It's me and you and you and me alone 

On your walk to Tsukishima’s house, you realize just how often this had become a thing. He had brought it up almost as a joke at first, until you both realized how okay you would be with the slight change in your relationship. It was a simple way to satisfy both of your needs without needing to add the different levels of commitment. He would call or text you, and if you weren’t busy you’d come over.  
You knocked on his door and he opened it, mouth curling into a signature smirk like it always did when you came at his command. “Sure kept me waiting long enough.” He said before stepping aside so you could enter his home. You glanced around and everything was still. The pillows on the couch were still in place and the kitchen was silent. Akiteru was at college, you weren’t sure where his parents were. But if he called you, you were positive that there was time to spare.

_We're just playing hide and seek_  
It's getting hard to breathe under the sheets with you  
I don't want to play no games  
I'm tired of always chasing, chasing after you 

Clothes were falling to the floor as you both sat on his bed, undressing yourselves. You let your blouse fall down to the carpeting as you heard the bed behind you shift. His arm slipped around you, hand navigating down your bra. You blushed and swatted him, knowing he was just teasing because he was Tsukishima Kei and that is what he liked best. “Don’t get so shy over that, we’ve done way worse.” The way he just said it blatantly, as though there was nothing bizarre about the situation.  
His glasses rested on the nightstand as you twined your fingers through his flaxen hair, shivering as you felt his mouth against your flesh. Little bites and licks, nothing to leave any marks though. Nothing to give you the wrong impression, that you belonged to him. In reality you were just borrowing each other.

_Wake up in your bedroom and there's nothing left to say_  
When I try to talk you're always playing board games  
I wish I had monopoly over your mind  
I wish I didn't care all the time 

When both of you lay against his mattress, panting and sweaty, and occasionally with hoarse throats, you like to pretend to yourself. That he won’t just gather up his clothes after recovering. That he would turn onto his side and pull you into his arms. You didn’t expect him to be super nice and loving, his personality wouldn’t permit it. You just wanted...you didn’t know what you wanted. More than making excuses about why you had to leave after his attention would shift to anything else.  
You had fastened your boots and waved goodbye before walking down the street. Your legs felt like rubber and you were hot all over, but you kept walking. With each step you grew a little angrier. Why did he seem to not care? Did he not respect you? What was worse is it felt like your friendship began to diminish when the little meetups began. Even if he had never greeted you warmly, it now just felt cold to talk to him.

_I don't give a fuck about you anyways_  
Whoever said I gave a shit about you?  
You never share your toys or communicate  
I guess I'm just a play date to you 

You arrived to his doorstep, same as always. But you didn’t plan on staying. The underappreciation you felt made you want to be finished, leave this all in the past. You raised a hand to the door bell and pushed the button, leaning against the wooden beam next to you. You breathed into your hands to warm them and saw the door open. He looked irritated that it had taken you so long to arrive when he knew you only lived a ten minute’s walk away. On the journey you let yourself be distracted, talk to whoever passed by that you knew, it was a small town after all. “Come on.” He said, waving you in.  
You swallowed thickly and shook your head, knowing it would take all of you to remain firm in your judgement. “I’m done, Kei.”  
His eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he looked at you. “We had an agreement.”  
“I’m done, Kei!” You repeated, louder. Loud enough for the neighborhood to hear. He faltered in his movements for a moment. He’d never heard you shout before, especially not at him. “I don’t want to do this anymore.” Your voice was quieter but still held it’s edge.

_You know I give a fuck about you everyday_  
Guess it's time that I tell you the truth  
If I share my toys, will you let me stay?  
Don't want to leave this play date with you 

“Why? What makes you suddenly decide you’re so done with me?” He leaned against the door frame as you looked down at your hands.  
“Because you’re heartless.” The confusion on his face was blatant and you continued, “Because it all means nothing to you.”  
“We agreed it wouldn’t mean anything.”  
“Well things have changed.” You turned and walked down the steps that led up to his front door. When you were on the last one, with your back turned to him, you spoke. “I love you.” You inhaled deeply, trying not to cry, and walked away. You refused to look back, even as you turned the corner. The moment his house was out of sight behind you, you let your tears flow. “Goodbye Kei.”

Tsukishima was home from college when the envelope came. It was printed on thick cream stationary with matte gold lettering on the front. It was heavy and felt important. He turned it over and lifted the tab, taking out what was inside. It was a wedding invitation, he wondered if perhaps one of his mom’s friend’s kids was getting married. When he opened it and saw the photograph inside his heart fell down to the floor.  
You were standing next to a complete stranger, his arm around your waist, yours around his. You completely beamed into the camera, looking happier than he had ever seen you. Below were the details of your wedding, the date and location, but he just dropped the entire thing on the table before walking up the stairs in a daze.  
When he saw you walking away from his house so long ago, he was convinced that within the next day or two you’d come back to him and he’d ever so gracefully welcome you back. He shared the feelings you voiced for him, but his pride and shock wouldn’t let him voice a word of it all.  
When the next school year started and you’d been in a different class, you saw less and less of each other. It made confessing his feelings almost impossible. And the way you looked at him. No, you didn’t even look at him, you looked through him. As though he weren’t there.  
He considered, briefly, going to your wedding. Perhaps he would make an ass of himself like in all those romantic comedies and object during the wedding. But who was to say you loved him anymore. Who was to say you cared? Why should he stand in the way of your happiness when he let his own just slip through his fingers?


	2. Almost

He didn’t know why he was there. The suit didn’t fit him quite right and he didn’t know anybody. Yet here he was, at the church that your wedding was held at. Fresh bouquets were at the ends of the pews, thick lengths of ribbon decorated the front. It was all so picturesque, and it turned Tsukishima’s stomach to see it all.  
He could only imagine how the ceremony would go. The music would start and everyone would walk forward, flower petals covering the path that led from point A to point B. Your groom would wait for you at the end of the aisle and you would come out, looking every bit as beautiful as he remembered you. He figured your hair would be curled and your dress would fit you just right. Maybe you wore long gloves, maybe you held peonies in your hands instead of roses. Maybe, if he wasn’t so stubborn, it could be him waiting for you…  
He got up from his seat and marched back out of the room. The entire procession was just too much for him, he was certain if he stayed any longer he was going to either vomit or make an ass of himself. Or both.  
He rounded a corner to where he was pretty sure the bathroom was when he saw you.  
You didn’t wear any gloves and your hair was only curled at the ends and you were nearly as pale as the dress you wore. Your eyes were closed as you leaned against the wall, breathing deeply through your nose.  
“Hey.” It was the only word he said as he stood near you, almost shielding you from view of anyone walking by.  
You opened your eyes and he could tell you had been crying. Were they just traditional jitters, a case of cold feet? You narrowed your eyes, almost as if you couldn’t quite see him, couldn’t believe he was there. “Tsukki?” You asked in a hoarse voice.  
His heart throbbed in his chest as he looked at you. A bride should be happy on her wedding day, she should positively glow. Yet here you were. You held a hand out to him, as though to confirm he was really there. You stepped forward and stumbled, his arms fast around your waist to support you. Even through the fabric of his blazer he could feel your temperature. You were burning up, how could no one notice?

Looking back on it, it was purely impulse. Yet he couldn’t be happier with the fact that you were resting on his couch, your flawless gown replaced by one of his large t shirts. You were sleeping soundly, an emptied bowl on the floor next to you next to a torn open packet of medicine. He figured someone would stop him when he carried the bride out of the church, but no one stopped him. People in the street even assumed that he was your betrothed. But he wouldn’t get ahead of himself. After all, your love for him dissipated long ago.  
He placed a cold towel on your forehead and watched as you fidgeted slightly before relaxing even further against the cushions. Your eyes opened for a moment, they were shiny with fever, and you grinned at him before fading back to sleep.  
“...Idiot.” He muttered, grabbing your hand and holding it in both of his. You wore a fine gemstone on your finger and he slid the band off, setting it on the table before pressing his lips against your palm. “Who goes and gets sick on their own wedding day?” He set your hand down on the couch, letting your arm relax, before pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. The last one he would ever get from you, of that he was certain.

The sky was getting dark when you woke up and you stretched as though you’d been asleep for an entire day. Little did you know that you had.  
“I’m pretty sure when people sleep for twenty hours that’s called a coma.” You heard a voice from the hallway and looked over. You saw Kei, and realized that you were in a once familiar home.  
“Tsukki…” You said, getting up on shaky legs. Once you had your balance you walked toward him. He grew even taller since you last spoke to him, nearly five years ago. What were you doing there? Why did your heart go so fast when you stood next to him? You were about five feet from him when he held up his hand.  
“Stop.”  
You looked at him in confusion, tilting your head slightly. You already figured out that he helped you get over your fever, something overlooked by everyone who was fretting over the wedding.  
“You’re engaged. If you come closer I’ll do something I shouldn’t.”  
Your cheeks flushed as you heard his words, processed them, and you took a step back. He was right. You were engaged. Oh god the wedding. How long have you been there? Did you miss the ceremony? Surely your fiance was looking for you! Not to mention your parents, your family.  
You cleared your throat. “...I’m pretty sure that carrying a person away when no one notices is called kidnapping.” You glanced up at him.  
“Door’s right there.” He gestured over your shoulder. You could leave if you wanted to. Return to the life that was almost yours. Yet why did you simply walk over to the couch, pick up your discarded bowl, and carry it to the sink.  
“....Actually, I think I’m okay. Being here.” You saw his cheeks tint pink from the corner of your eye before he shrugged and walked out of the room. You’d call your family later, let them know you were okay. Later. You wanted to enjoy this for a while, being somewhere else.

It had been a week since Tsukishima unofficially invited you to stay with him. You would talk to him over breakfast, use the bath, offer to make lunch or dinner. You were careful to stay outside of his arm’s length. You had to keep telling yourself that you were engaged, that you were happily engaged. That was the only thing that kept you from walking right into his embrace, snuggling up to him and redoing what he and you had done all those years before but doing it right.  
But if you were so happy, why were you there?  
“Oi, you’re going to get wrinkles if you keep doing that.” Tsukishima said as he walked into the dining room, seeing you staring at your ring once again with narrowed brows and a wrinkled forehead.  
You glanced at him and stuck your tongue out before rubbing away the creases in your skin. “Hey Tsukishima…” You asked, leaning on your crossed arms as he washed a plate at the sink.  
“Hm?”  
“Why did you bring me here?”  
He was quiet and you figured he either didn’t hear you or was pretending he didn’t. You were almost to your feet when you heard his quiet answer. You almost missed it, you were lucky that you hadn’t been pushing the chair in or you would have. “Because I missed you.”  
You looked at him, standing in the kitchen. The water was running but his plate was clean and in the drying rack. You couldn’t control your feet as you walked toward him. He had warned you what would happen if you walked too close. Yet you continued your stride. Slow, deliberate. “I missed you too.” You said softly, walking past that invisible line between nothing and infinity. Heaven and Hell. Walking into Tsukki, who welcomed you with open arms.  
His grip was too tight but you couldn’t find it in yourself to deny him, to make him let go. You didn’t want to. It was like he was the piece you were missing, you discovered. His face was buried into your hair, his glasses on the counter top. “I shouldn’t do this.” You said softly, a whisper.  
“No you shouldn’t.”  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too.”  
He angled your jaw up and kissed you firmly. You closed your eyes and savored him. It was nothing like your kisses with your fiance. Even a passive Tsukki held more passion and love than his embraces ever did. How could you allow yourself to believe that he loved you when it didn’t really feel like he did? Not when you felt the love Tsukishima held for you. A love you wouldn’t ever let go of.

The morning air was cold against your bare skin. You tugged Tsukishima’s blanket up to your shoulders and cuddled up to him. He was still sleeping as you looked up at him, but his arms were still tight around you. You leaned up and kissed his jaw before cuddling up against his chest, fingers tracing designs on the exposed flesh.  
His final words before falling asleep echoed through your mind. He pulled out and held onto you like you were all that he wanted in this world. “Don’t go.” He said into your shoulder, almost as if he himself didn’t realize he spoke a word.  
You smelled breakfast cooking when you officially woke up. It had to have been nearly noon, you had gotten far too close to being able to sleep in.  
You pulled on the t shirt you first slept in when Tsukishima carried you to his home and walked down to the kitchen. He was dressed in pajamas, the back of his hair sticking up. He must have just woken up too. You reached out and tugged on the back of his shirt. Your hands were bare, you had taken off the ring a few days before.  
“Morning.” He said, still facing the stove. But you could hear the smile in his voice.  
“Morning.” You said in return, hugging him from behind. “We need to do something about my parents, about--”  
“Don’t say his name.” He said sharply before squeezing one of your hands. “You’re mine now.” His tone was much more gentle. “But, you’re right.”  
“I’ll call them. I’m too scared to meet with them in real life. They’re probably scared to death that I’ve been gone so long.” He lifted eggs from the pan and put them on plates, walking to the table with you in tow, his makeshift belt.  
He rolled his eyes as you sat down. “Idiot, of course I’m going to help you.”  
You picked up chopsticks and raised an eyebrow at him. “Really?”  
“Of course. I’ve wanted you for this long, I’m not letting you go now.”


	3. Goodbye, Hello

Your breath caught in your throat as you listened to the words of your former fiance over the phone. Where was the sweet guy you met in school a few years ago? Who was this in his place?  
“I don’t know where you are but let me tell you that if you do not come back on your own I will make you come back. And whoever you’re with will be very, very sorry.”  
You glanced over your shoulder at the partially closed door. Behind it was the bed you were in not long before, Tsukishima still asleep with his arm splayed out beneath your pillow. You had only meant to leave a message. You wanted to tell him that you weren’t coming back before ditching your phone somewhere and getting a new one with a new number. But he picked up immediately upon seeing your photo on the screen. And you knew he didn’t make threats lightly.  
“You...you wouldn’t.”  
“Wouldn’t I? I love you (y/n). All I want is you by my side.” You heard the gentle notes begin to show in his voice and swallowed thickly. “And I’ll do whatever I have to in order to make that happen.”  
“...Where do you want me to go?”

When Tsukishima woke up your side of the bed was cold. He rubbed his eyes and squinted at the empty sheets. You’d been out of bed for a long time. Standing up, he wandered to the kitchen. You had mentioned something about wanting French Toast the night before, he wondered if maybe your stomach kept you from sleeping in and you were busy dipping pieces of bread into beaten egg.  
“(Y/N)?” He called out as he walked down the short hallway. The kitchen was dark, as was the living room. He called for you again, looking through all the rooms in his home, knocking on the bathroom and peering into the small yard. All of them empty. His heart throbbed painfully and he put a hand on his chest. He hadn’t seen a note either. He was positive you would have left one if you just went down the street to the market to pick something up.  
His hands were shaking as he opened his closet to grab a pair of shoes, noticing right away how anything you had kept there was gone. He let the running shoes fall from his fingers and backed up. Had you even come back at all? Was this all just a grand hallucination brought on by the most painful of loneliness?

His apartment was way too quiet now that you were gone. There wasn’t any humming or songs from the radio. He remembered missing the quiet when he first brought you back with him, now it was suffocating, it pushed in on him on all sides until he couldn’t breathe anymore. He turned the TV on, just to get some background noise. As he set the remote down on a cushion he listened to the news. There had to be something going on in the world, something more tragic and pathetic than his circumstances.  
“The fiance of the Mikoshiba conglomerate was reunited with Kukai earlier today in a stunning turn of events. We reported last month of her mysterious disappearance the day of their wedding…”  
Tsukishima turned slowly to look at the screen, watching as you were embraced by a dark haired man in a suit.  
“Why…?” He muttered, unable to stop looking. Did you come back just for some cheap thrill? To get your last kicks in before finally tying the knot? But the way you said you loved him. He was a professional at finding lies in people’s tones. You were nothing but genuine in your words. You never would have lied about something like that in the first place. But still, why would you leave him? Whatever it was, he would have helped you sort it all out. You trusted him, right?  
In an instant his hand was on top of the television, pushing it down to the ground. The screen broke and the sound warped and distorted before cutting out altogether. He was breathing heavily as he walked around his home, picking up anything small and heavy and throwing it at the floor, the wall, before collapsing himself.  
He never would have figured he would lash out like this. The last time you walked out of his life he took it all in stride, no one ever figured out he was crushed inside. But this...he had you. He really had you right where he wanted. Next to him, in his arms, in his bed. And you left. You didn’t even say goodbye.

You sat on a park bench, watching the children play on the equipment. Watching one child in particular. Your son, Kyousuke, toddled along the playground, pulling himself up ladders and looking to see if you were watching. Each time his eyes met yours you would smile and wave to him and he would wave back, his whole arms moving through the air. You watched as he walked over to a girl digging in the sand and asked if he could play with her. He was two years old and already so smart. You’d check out picture books together at the library and within a couple of hours he’d be done with them and ask to go back.  
They played together for a while, switching from playing in the sand to going down slides, when the girl looked up as an adult called her name.  
“Su, it’s time to go.” You glanced over at her parent and dropped the water bottle you held in your hand.  
“Uncle Kei!” She called out, hopping to her feet.  
“Tsukishima.” You said, standing up.  
His entire body stiffened as he heard your voice. For a moment, his eyes looked scared. He shook his head before turning his back toward you, grabbing onto the little girl’s hand and beginning to walk.   
“Tsukki!” You called out again. “Please...I can explain!”  
He heard the thickness in your voice. You were about to cry and even now he was weak to your tears. Slowly he came to a stop, turning to face you.  
He opened his mouth, ready to reject you. He wasn’t sure he could take you coming back into his life only to walk right on back out. But you were faster.  
“He said he’d hurt you. He said bad things would happen if I didn’t come back.”  
You saw him sigh before walking back over, leaning over to tell the girl that she got an extra few minutes. Su ran back over to Kyousuke with a grin, loudly exclaiming what she just heard to her newfound best friend.  
“You have two minutes to explain.”  
You nodded and rubbed at your eyes. “The morning I left, I didn’t want to Kei, I want you to know that. But I felt like I didn’t have a choice. Kukai wasn’t nice when he was angry. When it came to business he was very cruel. When he said that you’d be sorry, I didn’t know what else to do.”  
“...Does he know you’re here?” He sat on the bench and leaned back.  
“He doesn’t care about me anymore.” You shrugged. “The minute I had Kyousuke he kicked me out.”  
“Why?”  
“Because he came out blond.” You pointed to the boy playing with his niece. Kyousuke was the spitting image of Tsukishima, blond hair and gold eyes. Based on how he looked at the TV you were positive he was going to need glasses in a couple of years too.  
The sun had moved a great deal in the sky as you sat next to him. “I still love you, Kei. I may have left but my heart stayed with you.”  
He was quiet as he processed your words before sighing, “What do I tell my wife and kids?”  
Out of the corner of his eye he saw you gasp before deflating. “...I guess that’s what I get for going away, huh?”  
He reached out and curled an arm around your shoulders, pressing a tender kiss to your head. “Idiot...I was joking.”  
You blushed brightly before pressing your burning face against his chest. “...Jerk.”  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too...you’re still a jerk though.”  
“You wouldn’t have me any different.”  
“Of course I wouldn’t. You wouldn’t be Kei.”


End file.
